MANILA — “Get to the bottom of the PHP60-million Special Action Forces (SAF) allowance mess and file charges.”
This was the first marching order of Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Officer-in-Charge Secretary Eduardo Año to new Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director Oscar Albayalde as he assumed office Thursday.
Año said Albayalde should give outright priority in finding out how SAF officials were allegedly able to withhold and deprive SAF troopers of their daily subsistence allowance for several months since 2016.
“This should be his first priority and will serve as litmus test on how he will carry out the internal cleansing program within the police organization,” Año said.
Four former SAF officials are now the subject of a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the alleged malversation of close to PHP60 million of funds that are meant for the daily additional subsistence allowance of SAF troopers for two years.
Año said that Albayalde, who had also been part of SAF before, knows first-hand the hardships of being part of the elite force of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and should be able to act decisively on this issue.
“He (Albayalde) is a former SAF commando and official so he knows the struggles of SAF and how they look forward to receiving additional benefits from the PNP,” Año said.
Año said the PNP should conduct its own fact-finding investigation to ensure that the SAF allowance mess is an isolated case and to craft appropriate policies that will prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
“This should not happen again,” he said. (DILG-PR/PNA)
